2 Singaporeans & 3 Foreigners Arrested After Raid Finds Duty-Unpaid Cigarettes & Drugs
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Singapore Customs teamed up to raid 2 houses, busting an operation of drugs and duty-unpaid cigarette cartons.
5 people – 2 Singaporean men and 3 foreign women – were arrested, and a variety of drugs and contraband cigarettes were seized, they said on Wednesday ( 3 Jun).
Man had bought cigarettes for resale at Jalan Sayang
Acting on a tip-off, the 1st raid was on a house in Jalan Sayang, located near the Kembangan area, where a 47-year-old Singaporean man had apparently bought cigarettes to resell.
From there, officers found a van that had cartons of cigarettes inside, and raided the 36-year-old Singaporean van driver’s house.
They also arrested the 2 men in the process, along with the 3 women, aged 33, 35, and 38.
Officers found drugs & unpaid cigarettes
Officers found a variety of drugs as well as cigarette cartons, the latter of which were duty-unpaid.
Here is the full list of what they seized.
- 19g of Ice
- 3g of vegetable matter suspected to contain new psychoactive substances
- small amount of ketamine
- 36 Ecstasy tablets
- drug equipment
- 1,112 cartons and 8 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes
- Cash worth $52,510
- The 36-year-old Singaporean’s van
The full amount of the duty payable on the cigarettes was $102,720. If the people involved are guilty, they’ll be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded, jailed up to 6 years, or both.
Investigations are currently ongoing.
Drugs and evading tax don’t pay
Singapore, as everyone knows, has a tough stance on drugs. The maximum penalty for drug trafficking is death.
Contraband cigarettes are also a no-no. So don’t go buying or using such items, or you may find yourself in trouble with the law.
Kudos to the tip-off as well as CNB and Singapore Customs’ action to nab the goods.
Featured image adapted from Singapore Customs and Singapore Customs.